Jesse Remington students host Colonial Faire

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:22:00 GMT

BY TOBY HENRY

British Redcoats opened fire on local residents in an incident that many say will mark the beginning of a revolt of epic proportions.

This recreation of the historic Boston Massacre of 1770 was one of many historical events that was recreated in real life by local youth and staff members of Jesse Remington High School. The school’s Colonial Faire was the result of more than a month’s worth of research for dozens of students at the small private Christian school, and May 17th’s warm summertime weather provided the perfect backdrop of comfort for the many area residents who attended the event.

Among those who took part were JRHS student Zachariah Horton, 14, who played the role of famous “midnight rider” Paul Revere. Horton pointed out that although most Americans know Revere helped to raise the alarm against the British during the famous April 1775 ride, few are aware that he didn’t actually make it as far as he was supposed to.

“He was assigned to ride to Lexington and Concord to warn against the British troops, and he was also supposed to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming,” he said. “But between Lexington and Concord, he got captured by the British, and he later had to walk all the way back without his horse.”

Nearby, JRHS senior Jacob Cross took on the guise of frontiersman Daniel Boone and recreated a historic scene from the founding of Fort Watauga, which is in present day Tennessee.

The fort, built in 1775, helped to defend Colonial settlers from raids by Native Americans.

Cross said he had long been an admirer of early American settlers, adding that he had been looking forward to playing the part of his hero.

“When I was growing up, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone were always my favorite characters,” he said. “I really wish I could have lived back then. It was an amazing time.”

While Colonial Americans figured prominently, other students also took on the role of British Redcoats, who remained loyal to the king, and JRHS professor Ray Cresswell adopted a Tutonic accent and stepped into the shoes of a famous German who played a role in “whipping the patriots into shape.” Cresswell portrayed Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a veteran German military figure who helped train Gen. George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge, Pa.

Cresswell said that without the famous baron, who was legendary for both his skill and his angry outbursts, it may well have taken much longer for the United States to rid itself of the oppressive British.

“Through the help of Benjamin Franklin, he got a position offered to him by Washington to train the troops, and he actually arrived here in New Hampshire, in Portsmouth, in 1777, before making his way to Valley Forge,” Cresswell said. “He whipped the American ‘rabble’ into a fine fighting unit.”

The Colonial Faire is one of a series of four historical re-creations that JRHS students perform annually. Other events in the series, which alternate each year, also focus on the Victorian era, medieval Europe and the American 20th century.

Candia News : Boston Massacre

Jesse Remington students host Colonial Faire